The now deceased Derrick Birdow is the suspect in the beating death of Greater Sweethome Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Danny Kirk Sr. (credit: Tarrant Co. Sheriff’s Office)

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The man who rammed his car into a Fort Worth area church and beat the pastor to death died of PCP ingestion while in custody, the Tarrant County medical examiner ruled on Tuesday.

When officers arrived at Greater Sweethome Missionary Baptist Church on Oct. 29, 33-year-old Derrick Birdow was assaulting the Rev. Danny Kirk Sr. with an electric guitar. Officers used a taser to subdue Birdow, handcuffed him and put him in a police car.

He was found unresponsive in the back of a patrol car a short time later and pronounced dead.

The widow of Birdow says her spouse was mentally ill. She also says her husband had sought treatment at a hospital a couple of days before the attack.

As part of the ruling, Birdow’s death was ruled an accident, though an administrative investigation by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department is ongoing.

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